Tracker and tension device.



G. A. JAEGER.

TRACKER AND TENSION DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 10. 1913.

1,140,460. Patented May 25, 1915.

j y/e i gentoz A: -0 e 6 7 I GEORGE A. JAEGER, 0F HACKENSACK, NEW JERSEY.

TRACKER AND Tension DEVICE.

Specification of Letters was.

Patented May, 25, 1915.

Application filed December 10, 1913. Serial No. 805,746..

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. JAEGER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Hackensack, Bergen county, New Jersey, (whose post-oflice address is 182438 Mulberry street, New York city, New 'York,') have invented a new and useful Tracker and Tension Device, which invention is fully set forth in the following specification.

The invention is intended primarily to be employed in unrolling sheets or strips of paper or the like, other more or less similar purposes. In drawing ofi a sheet or strip of paper, for instance, from a roll, there is liability, especially if the strip be more than a narrow piece of tape, that one side or the other will run somewhat more freely than the opposite side, or even that the middle portion may pucker, whereas it is most desirable that the entire strip should advance in a direct line and lie perfectly flat and smooth at the point it is to be operated on, as in printing, punching, pasting, or some other treatment ap plied to the paper.

The object of the present invention, then, is to prevent the strip running askew or becoming puckered, and to cause 1t to be presented, at the desired point of treatment, in a perfectly alined and perfectly flat and smooth position.

Uniformity of tension as wellas true guidance of the edges of the sheet or strip is essential, and the present invention consists of a combined tracker and tension-device to accomplish those purposes.

The invention consists of a laterally-adjustable guide for the strip, constituting a tracker which is axially adjustable to constitute a tension-device.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment.

thereof, and in wh1ch-- Figure 1 is a side view, partly in section. illustrating a simple arrangement con-taining a preferred embodiment of the new tracker and tension-device; Fig. 2 is a similar view indicating the simultaneous employment of two of the new devices; and Fig. 3

'rolled a sheet or'strip 2 but may be employed for roller 3,

rice (not shown) is a plan view of said tracker and tensiondevice. j

. Referringfirst to Fig. 1, carrying-drum or spindle,

of paper or thelike. The outer end of this sheet 2 is shown as extending (past the tracker and tension-device,

1 represents a to be described). over horizontal rollers 33,

between which is a platen 4 wherethe strip is to be acted upon, and thence to a feed:

roller or the like, indicated at 5. The platen 4 is shown in Fig. 1 as indicating 'meansfor punching holes in the strip 2, as in producing perforated music-rolls; understood that printing, embossing, pasting, or any other treatment may be applied intermediate the guide-rolls 3-3. It will be further understood that the particular construction of 'the-carrying-drum, platen, guide-rolls, feeding-device, etc.,' forms no part of the present -invention,-'these parts being set forth merely to indicate the relaupon which isbut it will be tive locationof the tracker and tension-device, and to illustrate the mode of operation thereof.

Referring to Fig. 2, drum 1, one sheet or strip 2 extends (past its tracker and tension-device) over a guideand thence over the roller 6 of a pasting-device 7, and thence -.over a secon guide-roller 8 and a platen 4, to a feed-de- And from a second carrying-drum 1, a second sheet or strip 2 (which may be of different material from that of sheet 2). extends, past its own tracker and tension-device, over the roller 8 aforesaid, and thence over the same platen 4 to the same feed-device just referred to. If the work to be done upon sistsof pasting them together, as indicated in Fig. 2, a clamping-roller 9 may be provided to coact with the roller 8.

The new tracker andItension-device may be mounted in any convenient location between the carrying-drum and the platen (or other place where the particular work is to be done), the nearer the latter the better. In the drawings the new device is shown as mounted upon the two parallel side-frames 10. It comprises the axiallyadjustable the two sheets con dso main bar 11 extending transversely of the apparatus and preferably cylindrical, and the parallel (cylindrical) counter-bar 12 carried by the two parallel'arms 13-43 that are separately adjustable longitudinally of the bars 11 and 12, and that act as guidearms for the'sheet 2. The main bar 11 is shown as passing completely through the -'two frame-pieces '10, and provided at one adjustment upon the bars 11 and 12.

lend with the adj usting-handle 14, and at the other end with a securing-device 15. Setscrews 16 or other similar devices serve to holdthe main bar 11 rigidly in any desired "axial adjustment. The two bars 11 and 12 fit more or less snugly in equidistant holes in the two arms 1313; and set-screws 17 17 and 1818, or other suitable devices, hold the arms rigidly in any desired longitudinal Upon loosening devices 17 or 18, or both, the guidearms can be shifted toward or away from each other so as to fit accurately against each side of thesheet 20f any convenientwidth,

and also sofas to aline the sheetprop'erly with the work to be done at the platen.

'Or, if desired, by having the main shaft somewhat'longer, and shifting it longitudinally of its axis, the entire tracker can be thereby adjusted laterally of the apparatus. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the sheet 2 is passed over-the counter-bar 12 and then under the main bar 11, and thence past the platen to the feed-device, as already described. The attendant can vary the tension at will, by loosening the devices 16 and shifting the handle 14 so as to shift the counter-bar 12, as from the position indicated in full lines in Fig. 1 into the position axial angle than the other, in order to provlde slightly greater tension on one side of the sheet 2 than on the other. It will also be perceived that the new tracker and tension-device can be readily installed, by any skilled workman, in connection with any service where a tracker and tension-device is required, as, for instance, for guiding blankets on a paper or board or lining machine, orjupon any other machine using a traveling web or endless-belt conveyer.

The inventlon has thus been described with considerable detail, but only for the sake of clearness, since the precise construction and arrangement of parts may be varied considerably, and the invention is capable of being embodiedin different forms, and parts of the invention maybe used to the exclusion of other parts.

Having thus described'the invention,-wl1at is claimed is:

1. A combined tracker and tension-device,

,comprising two stationary members, a bar 7 journaled therethrough, set-screws for securing saidbar rigidly in place, two guidearms journaled on said bar and adjustable longitudinally thereof to contact with the respective edges of the sheet or strip of any desired width as lateral guides for the same, a set-screw for holding-each arm rigidly in place, a second bar journaled in the outer ends of said arms, and a set-screw for holding the same rigidly to each arm.

2. A combined tracker and tensiondevice, comprising a bar axially and longitudinally adjustable in stationary bearings, means for securing it rigidly in any desired adjustment, two guide-arms carried by said bar and independently adjustable both axially and longitudinally thereof and adapted to contact with the respective edges of the sheet or strip as lateral guides for the same, independent means for securing said arms rigidly in any desired adjustment, a second tension-bar held adjustably by the outer ends of said arms, and means for securing the same rigidly in any desired adjustment.

3. A combined tracker and tension-device, comprising an axially-adjustable tensionbar, two guidearms carried adjustably thereby and adapted to contact with the respective edges of the sheet or strip of any sheet or strip as lateral guides for the same,

means for securing said arms rigidly in place, and a second tension-bar carried by the outer ends of said arms.

4. A combined tracker and tension-device, comprising two laterally-adjustable arms adapted to contact with the respective edges of the sheet or strip of any desired width as lateral guides for the same, a bar carried thereby and movable for varying the tension, and means for holding said bar rigidly in any desired adjustment.

5. A combined tracker and tension-device, comprising two laterally-adjustable arms adapted to contact with the respective edges of a sheet or strip of any desired width as guides for the same, in combination with a tension-bar movable for varying the tension of said sheet or strip, and means for holding said bar rigidly inany desired adjustment. Y

6.. A combined tracker and tension-device, for use in connection with drawing off a flexible body or strip of any desired width from a roll containing the same, consisting of a frame comprising two parallel guideindependently adjustable lutersl ing a, laterally-adjustable guide adapted to rection and adated to contact with the respective edges 0 said strip as lateral guides for the same, adjustable means for varying the tension upon such strip, holding said tension-means rigidly in any desired adjustment.

7. A tra ker and tension-device, compriscontact with the edge of a sheet of flexible width to guide the same laterally,

and means for specification in the presence of two subscribfor varying the tension of said sheet, and

in combination with means mealns for. holding said tension-means rig- Y desired adjustment.

idly in any 4 whereof I have signed this In testimony ing witnesses. 1

' I GEORGE A. JAEGER. Witnesses:

C. A. L. MASSIE, RALPH L. Soon. 

